We arrived to a warm welcome at Densmore Lodge after we got settled in; we went to the common room to play some games. These games were really fun and got us really comfortable. After the games we were put into different groups and watched the Youth Alpha video. We had been watching these Alpha videos throughout the course of the year so we were very familiar with them.

In our groups we then took turns to do different activities. These activities included archery, leap of faith, the big slide, Jacob’s ladder and some games in the sports hall. In archery we were taught how to hold the bow and how to find your dominant eye. We played different games and the winners won sweets. We then went off and did the leap of faith. This made us trust our class more. Some people did not enjoy the leap of faith, whereas others really loved it. Then we went to the sports hall and played football and basketball which was a lot of fun. While we did these activities and games, others did the slide and Jacob’s ladder. They said that the Jacob’s ladder was a good team work exercise.

Then it was time for lunch where we had pizza which was really great. Everyone really enjoyed all the food. After lunch we had a bit of free time to relax and chat to people, after which we went on a prayer journey. Some people found it a bit personal for their liking but others really enjoyed it, and found it to be very beneficial.

After this we had dinner and a small bit of extra free time, during which one of the helpers taught us how to do a dance, which was really fun as no one had ever done it before. We all really enjoyed it. We then headed down to the bonfire, which was a bit of fun. Then we all went back and got into out PJ’s and got to watch a movie. We were all tired after a very eventful day.

We were woken early in the morning by drums and some girls singing “Rise and Shine”. We weren’t very impressed with them. We all eventually for up for breakfast, and then had another video session with the Ben and Jason videos, and had a talk with our leaders. After this we played capture the flag and we all had great fun. We had wraps for lunch and played more capture the flag until the bus came. We all had such a great time and we would love to do it all again.

Youth Alpha was a really enjoyable experience for us. We learnt a lot from it. The leaders were lovely and friendly people and we miss them greatly. We really recommend it. Thank you for everything.